The Kobalt Mortar Hoe is Mixing it up for Success
Words: Louis Foreman, John Murtagh, Mary Murtagh, Bill Murtagh, Sonnette Garner Edison Nation announces the national launch of the Kobalt Mortar Hoe, a patented mortar mixing tool for commercial and at-home use, at Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores.
The Kobalt Mortar Hoe eases the strenuous work of mixing cement, grout and mortar. Each Kobalt Mortar Hoe features a pentagonal head shape with two directional flow ports. The flow ports allow for easier mixing, while the pentagonal head shape and rounded edges help access mortar in the corners of the wheelbarrow without scraping the cart. The hoe boasts a 66-inch handle that makes it easier to leverage the product and allows the user to gain more torque when mixing.
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“The moment we saw the product, we were blown away by the simplicity of it,” says Louis Foreman co-founder of Edison Nation (www.edisonnation.com) and producer of Everyday Edisons. “It takes a problem that needed to be solved, and solves it without any bells or whistles. It’s ingenious.”
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The late inventor John Murtagh, a retired Amy master sergeant and Vietnam veteran, developed the idea for the hoe and received a patent in 2002, but lost his battle with cancer in 2004. His surviving family took over the efforts to bring his product to market. His wife, Mary, and children, Bill Murtagh and Sonnette Garner, of Hickory, N.C., presented the idea at an Everyday Edisons casting call and were selected for the series’ first season, which features up-and-coming product innovations. Murtagh’s original prototype was engineered into a fully comprehensive tool and brought to market under the Kobalt brand at Lowe's Home Improvement stores.
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“The most satisfaction I could have would be to take my father into a Lowe’s store and have him see his invention on a store shelf,” says Bill Murtagh, son of late inventor John Murtagh. “It’s all I ever wanted.”
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The Kobalt Mortar Hoe retails for $23.97 and is available at nationwide Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores. For more information, please visit www.lowes.com or www.edisonnation.com.
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